KUALA LUMPUR: Bersatu has urged the government to enact a special law dedicated to protecting the sanctity of Islam and to prevent a recurrence of the “Allah” socks issue.
Party secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said opposition MPs had on various occasions in the past sought to introduce private members’ bills in the Dewan Rakyat to address the matter.
“We have brought these bills in several parliamentary sessions, but they remain on the list of motions (in the Dewan Rakyat order paper), and have been ignored by the government.
“What we want are clear guidelines on the dos and don’ts, what can be done and what cannot be done,” he said in an interview with FMT.
The opposition leader said Putrajaya must show it is serious about ensuring that federal laws are sufficient to protect Islam, while providing for the appropriate punishments.
Hamzah said Bersatu fully supported the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree that there should be no repeat of incidents similar to the “Allah” socks issue, and that all responsible parties should be punished.
In June last year, the Dewan Rakyat speaker rejected Jasin MP Zulkifli Ismail’s motion for the Interpretation Acts of 1948 and 1967 to be amended to define the term “Allah” to prevent its misuse.
Zulkifli said he had proposed the amendment to safeguard the faith of Muslims in the country.
His proposal followed a landmark decision handed down in March 2021, in which the High Court ruled that Sarawakian Jill Ireland was entitled to use the term “Allah” in the course of her religious education, both in Malay and her native Melanau language.
In her decision, then High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin said a Dec 5, 1986 directive issued by the home ministry prohibiting the use of the words “Allah”, “Baitullah”, “solat” and “kaabah” by non-Muslims was illegal.
The government abandoned its appeal against the High Court ruling on April 18, 2023. - FMT
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